Spider Monkeys: Behavior, Ecology and Evolution of the Genus Ateles

by Edited by Christina J. Campbell

• ISBN13: 9780521867504
• ISBN10: 0521867509
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-11-03
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

Spider monkeys are one of the most widespread New World primate genera, ranging from southern Mexico to Bolivia. Although they are common in zoos, spider monkeys are traditionally very difficult to study in the wild, because they are fast moving, live high in the canopy and are almost always found in small subgroups that vary in size and composition throughout the day. The past decade has seen an expansion in research being carried out on this genus and this book is an assimilation of both published and previously unpublished research. It is a comprehensive source of information for academic researchers and graduate students interested in primatology, evolutionary anthropology and behavioral ecology and covers topics such as taxonomy, diet, sexuality and reproduction, and conservation.

Table of Contents

List of contributors	p. vii
Acknowledgements	p. x
Introduction	p. 1
Taxonomy, phylogeny and evolution
Morphology and evolution of the spider monkey, genus Ateles	p. 19
The taxonomic status of spider monkeys in the twenty-first century	p. 50
Ecology
Diets of wild spider monkeys	p. 81
Factors influencing spider monkey habitat use and ranging patterns	p. 138
Spider monkeys as seed dispersers	p. 155
Behavior and reproduction
Locomotion and positional behavior of spider monkeys	p. 185
Communication in spider monkeys: the function and mechanisms underlying the use of the whinny	p. 220
Social interactions, social relationships and the social system of spider monkeys	p. 236
Spider monkey reproduction and sexual behavior	p. 266
Immaturity in spider monkeys: a risky business	p. 288
Demography and group composition of Ateles	p. 329
Interactions with humans
Spider monkey conservation in the twenty-first century: recognizing risks and opportunities	p. 351
The ethnoprimatology of spider monkeys (Ateles spp.): from past to present	p. 377
Index	p. 404
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